Medical history

[isufbcurt]

@isufbcurt do we have Physician on the list?

Added

 

[Pat]

We do, it has slightly different letters, SSN. Dang, MeanDean beat me to it.

You find it laughable, but trust me, it is 100% happening. This is my bread and butter. I'm in healthcare IT. There are lots and lots of great nurses where I work, but there are plenty that are barely scraping by technologically.

There is a lot of actual expertise in this thread; I shouldn’t be surprised that people are arguing, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

SSN is a (un)surprisingly bad unique identifier. I am currently working with a system that provides care AND handles the administration for insurance companies. The docs are on different software systems, they aren’t affiliated with specific hospitals, and some of them STILL USE PAPER. We have a pretty complex algorithm to try to match all the patient data, but beween the multiple sources of data, transcription/typing problems and, um, dubious legal status, there are, at minimum, dozens of matching problems every day.

It’s on the way. It’s more complicated than you think. It’s incredibly expensive. And, even if they have a chart, ER docs are probably going to err on the side of caution in performing extra tests because that’s better than accidentally killing someone due to a database issue.

 

[Mr Janny]

There is a lot of actual expertise in this thread; I shouldn’t be surprised that people are arguing, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

SSN is a (un)surprisingly bad unique identifier. I am currently working with a system that provides care AND handles the administration for insurance companies. The docs are on different software systems, they aren’t affiliated with specific hospitals, and some of them STILL USE PAPER. We have a pretty complex algorithm to try to match all the patient data, but beween the multiple sources of data, transcription/typing problems and, um, dubious legal status, there are, at minimum, dozens of matching problems every day.

It’s on the way. It’s more complicated than you think. It’s incredibly expensive. And, even if they have a chart, ER docs are probably going to err on the side of caution in performing extra tests because that’s better than accidentally killing someone due to a database issue.

Great post. I actually agree with the OP. Record sharing is a great goal to aspire to. And that's where we are heading in this state. It's just much, much more complicated than "Everybody share!".

 

[everyyard]

Doctors are using this information to make sometimes life affecting decisions. They may have this info already and still have it asked again. Do you want them trusting what was put in previously or going through it thoroughly again? I can’t tell you how many times something has been entered incorrectly and just follows a patient forever because it is “in the chart.” It is called Chart Lore. Also, patient’s ALWAYS forget to include something and maybe the 5th time it is asked it gets picked up on and maybe that was the time that information will be relevant.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Can't they just scan our microchips?

 

[VeloClone]

Can't they just scan our microchips?

There is no such thing.

Now everyone please look right here...

 

[Sparkplug]

Maybe have a standardized way that people could carry their medical history with them on a flash drive attached to a key chain. The files would be in a standardized format, maybe PDF, and when you visit a hospital or clinic the doctor would be allowed to read but not copy the history files, except if you give him or her express permission to copy the files if a certain situation requires it.

I have important information on this

 

[isufbcurt]

Seems appropriate here

 

[ImJustKCClone]

I have important information on this

Exactly. My cousin wears a bracelet for diabetes, my father has one for his pacemaker, although talking him into THAT one was a struggle because "men don't wear bracelets". But he doesn't have a key chain or carry a wallet (he's in assisted living), and is with my sister or BIL when he's out & about so the bracelet was the only way to go (on the off chance that they were in an accident and ALL were incapacitated).

 

[VeloClone]

Exactly. My cousin wears a bracelet for diabetes, my father has one for his pacemaker, although talking him into THAT one was a struggle because "men don't wear bracelets". But he doesn't have a key chain or carry a wallet (he's in assisted living), and is with my sister or BIL when he's out & about so the bracelet was the only way to go (on the off chance that they were in an accident and ALL were incapacitated).

Men may "not wear bracelets" but could he really make a case against medical alert dog tags?

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Men may "not wear bracelets" but could he really make a case against medical alert dog tags?

My father? Oh, hell yeah. He would never consider that a dog-tag...despite all evidence to the contrary.

He submitted to the bracelet, so we call that a "win".